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KIA KOUP 2009 – 2016

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2014 Kia Koup

  The Kia Koup is two-door coupe based on the Cerato four-door sedan. The Kia with the cute name arrived in Australia in September 2009 and sold pretty well straight way. That was mainly because of its styling, though low prices certainly played their part. Despite its sleek styling there a reasonable space inside the Kia Koup. As is the norm in this class, rear headroom is borderline and anyone over about 170 cm is likely to be cramped in the back. Small side windows won’t be appreciated by rear… Read more

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ISUZU N SERIES TRANSMISSIONS UPGRADED

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The truck market is an interesting one in that the manufacturers are often several years ahead of car makers in technology. Yet many truck drivers aren’t always keen on moving with the times. However, the times they are a-changin’ and self-shifting transmissions are starting to take over in a big way. This change to transmission preferences is most obvious in the small truck market a segment dominated by the Isuzu N Series in this country. In Australia, sales of two-pedal trucks have finally surpassed three-pedal models in the light and… Read more

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NEW MODELS, NEW IMAGE FOR HOLDEN

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Holden’s plans for life after local production are proceeding at pace with the unveiling of a new brand image; a marketing campaign featuring leading Australian record producer and musician Flume; a preview of five new or upgraded models to be released over the next five months and a new extended test drive program. Covering every facet of Holden’s marketing communications, the new Holden ‘master brand’ campaign ranges from an updated logo and a new website, to fresh television and social media activations for all models including the new Astra and… Read more

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JEEP 75TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIALS

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Jeep is celebrating its 75th anniversary by bringing out a series of special editions. However, not all models are coming Australia, only the ‘real’ Jeep models are coming downunder (more about that ‘real’ in a moment). Though the first Willys Jeeps were introduced 75 years ago in 1941 these were purely military vehicles. The first models available to civilians, appropriately tagged as CJ for Civilian Jeep, didn’t hit the road until 1945. These were built by Willys, later by Kaiser, followed by American Motors Corporation (AMC). It wasn’t until 1987… Read more

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INFINITI ACTIVE COMPACT DESIGNED TO EDGE OUT RIVALS

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Since its return to Australia four years ago Infiniti has gone about quietly making inroads into the Australian market. Now, that is to be ramped up with plans for seven models to land by year’s end. First cab off the rank is the Infiniti Q30, which the Japanese company calls an ‘active compact vehicle’, which the company expects to become the volume model. The Q30 comes in three model grades with three engine choices. Infiniti Q30 is available in three model grades; GT, Sport or Sport Premium. The Q30 Sport… Read more

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FIAT 127 COUPE

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1982 Fiat 127 Sport

Traditionally known as a producer of well-built, quality cars that gave sportscar-like performance on the highway something obviously went horribly wrong in the period 1969 to 1976 when Fiat models 850, 124, 126, 127 and 128 suffered severe rust and corrosion problems and the little cars practically disintegrated before their owners’ eyes. Not only were their bodies affected but also chassis corrosion was endemic in Europe, North America and Australia. So bad was the problem in America that the US government took the unusual step of suing the manufacturer for… Read more

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FORD RANGER XLS SPECIAL EDITION

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Pickup trucks are all the rage in Australia at the moment and Ford says it’s very keen to be the market leader in this important segment. Toyota HiLux has been a winner here just about forever, but Ford says Ranger can oust HiLux and take top spot on the podium. Ford is certainly coming closer by the month. A big ambition? Yes, but a smart one as the Ford Falcon will disappear from the Australian market in October this year and something has to fill its place and bring dollars… Read more

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BIG BMW X5; CLEAN – AND QUICK

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BMW already has the cleanest range of cars in Australia when measured on grams of CO2 produced per kilometre travelled. Far from being content with this, the German marque has just introduced a petrol-electric, plug-in hybrid model to the X5 range. BMW X5 xDrive40e; the ‘e’ obviously indicates ‘electric’; the important part of the name, though, is the ’40’. Because the eDrive has similar performance to the ’40’ performance models in the BMW range; that is those with mid-sized V8 engines or turbocharged sixes. STYLING The BMW X5 has a… Read more

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COROLLA TURNS ON HYBRID EFFICIENCY

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While other automobile manufacturers take varying roads to low emissions, Toyota is steadfastly sticking to the petrol / electric hybrid route with its new addition to the genre, the Corolla Hybrid. With official fuel consumption put at 4.1 litres per 100 kilometres on the combined urban / highway cycle, this is good enough to give the vehicle a range of almost 1100 km depending on driving style. The fifth hybrid in Toyota’s Australian line-up, joining Camry, Prius, Prius c and Prius v, the hybrid version of the popular Corolla arrives… Read more

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HOLDEN ADVENTRA AND CREWMAN 2003 – 2009

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2003 Holden Adventra

And now for something really different for Holden lovers. Holden Adventra was an early entrant in what is now called the crossover SUV market. That is a vehicle based on a station wagon, but with jacked up suspension and protection added to the body and underbody. Subaru has been in the jacked-up wagon arena for a long time, more recently, Volkswagen, Skoda and Audi, which are cousins, also sell wagons. Buyer preference in Australia leans very much to vehicles that look SUV-tough, though and these are now huge sellers. Its… Read more